Cotton-compress.



W. HILL.

COTTON CQMPRESS. APPLIGATION FILED DEO.17, 1912.

1,062,465. Patented May 20, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 WITNESSES INVENTOH ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA FLANDGRAPH (IO-.WASHXNGTON, n c.

W. HILL.

COTTON COMPRESS- APPLIOATION'IILED D3017, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES v nwlvro/a William Hm,

ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLNOGRAPH CCMWASHINGTON. D. c,

Patented m 20, 1913.

n snrs ran o WILLIAM HILL, OF ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HILL COTTON COMPRESS (10., LTD., OF ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA.

corron-coiviranss.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2c, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HILL, a

rate of speed, and to provide simple and eificient operative connections between the moving members or platens of a compress to secure a relatively rapidrate of movement of one of the platens and thereby diminish the time required to operate the compress.

Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a compress constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, part of the frame being cut away to show the construction of the connecting members uniting the platens; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a side View showing the compress as in operation.

The service for which compresses are principally employed is that of pressing or further reducing cotton as the same is received from the conventional baling machine. The purpose is to limit the space occupied by the completed bale and to avoid the risks and possibilities of a fire within the bale. With this object in View, the compress is provided with-a hydraulic ram, the cylinder 8 of which properly guides a plunger 9, upon which is directly mounted the slow-moving platen 10. The frames 11 and 13 are structurally united by corner posts 14, at the ends whereof are provided the conventional tightening screws and nuts 15.

'Upon the upper frame 13 is mounted a steam cylinder 16. The steam cylinder is directly connected by means of a piston rod 17 with a platen 18. The platen 18 is guided by the posts 14, guide blocks 19 straddling said posts, to be controlled thereby.

Under the usual conditions of operation,

the steam is supplied to the cylinder 16 coincident with the supply of water to the cylinder 8. The movement of the piston rod 17 and the platen 18 is more rapid than the movement of the plunger 9 and platen 10, the medium, steam, being more rapid in its action than the medium employed in the cylinder 8. In this manner, the preliminary compression of the bale between the platens l0 and 18 is more rapidly applied than if the platen 18 were immovable and the operation was compelled to wait upon the movement of the platen 10. In the present instance, the movement of the platen 18 and the piston rod17 connected therewith is controlled to correspond with the movement of the platen 10. For this purpose, the two platens are operatively connected by a system of levers and toggles, such as shown in the accompanying drawings. 1

At both ends of the platen 10 are provided bracket bearings 20, wherein wrist pins 21 are mounted, being extended from the lower end of connecting rods 22. The upper end of each of the rods 22 is pivotally connected by a pin 23 to the short arm of a bell crank lever 24. There are two levers 24, each pivs otally mounted by means of pivot pins 25 in the upper frame 13. The long ends of the said bell crank levers extend towardthe center of the frame 13, and when in relaxed position, the ends of said levers are adjacent the piston rod 17 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The lon arm of each of the levers. 24 isconnected, y means of toggle links 26, with the platen 18. When thus rigged, it will be observed, the short arms of the levers 24 being disposed in substantially vertical position, when the steam in the cylinder 16 moves the piston rod 17 and platen 18 connected therewith, the pull of the rods 22 on the short arms of the levers 24 is deferred until the ends of said arms begin to rise on the outward and upward movement in the arc of the path of the pins 23. Thereafter, the platen 10 is lifted in correspondence with the fall of the platen 18, when moved by the steam in the cylinder 16.

As the movement of the platen 18 is relatively faster than the movement of the platen 10 and plunger 9 connected therewith, so it is relatively weaker in the force expended. It will be observed, however, that the force thus expended is suflicient to preliminarily and partially reduce the bale of cotton fed to the compress.

It will be understood that when the force of the steam is equalized by the resistance of the bale, the movement of the platen 18 is automatically arrested. After the platen 10 has been lifted, the water flowing into the cylinder 8 thereafter primarily sustains the weight of the resistance. It will be observed, however, that prior to the direct application of power by means of the plunger 9, the levers 24: have been rocked to a position where the ends of the long arms of said levers are moved toward the vertical planes bisecting the pivot pins 25, while the free ends of the short arms of said levers have been moved away from said vertical planes, the result of which operation is that when the power is applied by the hydraulic ram, of which the cylinder 8 and plunger 9 are parts, the levers are favorably disposed to the application of power thereby upon the platen 18. It will also be noted that, as the platen 18 is rapidly moved by the piston rod 17, the long arms of the levers 2A and the toggle links 26 are straightened and disposed in a position where, by rotating the levers 24, the maximum power may be applied downward upon the platen 18 through thetoggle formed by the links 26 and the levers 24. The links 26 and the long arms of the levers 24 are so proportioned that at the moment when said long arms of the levers and said links are disposed in straight-line arrangement, the maximum travel of the platen 10 has been reached. Thus, it may be said that during the final maximum exertion of the hydraulic ram and the platen 10 connected therewith, the platen 18 has been held substantially rigid, and that, at the moment, the long arms of the levers 24 and the links 26 are most favorably arranged to resist the pressure imposed upon the platen 18. During the compression of the bale, the bands have rested in grooves 27 in bot-h of said platens. When these bands are drawn upon the bales, and the ties effected, the cylinders 16 and 8 are opened to permit the withdrawal of the rod 17 and the plunger 9 thereinto, respectively. The operation of the levers24: and parts connected therewith, in the separation of the platens 10 and 18, are as effective as when closing the same.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a power member connected with one of said platens to operatively move the same; and means operatively connecting said platens to move the same toward each other at a rate of speed greater than the movement of said power member.

2. A compress, having a plurality of platens; means operatively connecting said platens to cause the same to move toward each other at a progressively diminishing rate of speed; and a power member operatively connected wit-h one of said platens to. move the same toward the other.

3. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a power member operatively connected with one of said platens; and a mechanism operatively connecting said platens, to move the platen not connected with said power member toward the platen connected with said power member at a rate of speed greater than the movement of the platen connected with said power member.

4. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a power member connected with one of said platens to move the same toward the other; means operatively connecting said platens to move the platen not connected with the power member toward the platen connected with the power member, at an initial rate of speed greater than the speed of the platen connected with said power member, and diminishing progressively.

5. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a relatively low-speed power member connected with, to move, one of said platens; a relatively high-speed power member operatively connected with, to move, the other of said platens; a guide frame for said platens; and anchoring means mountable on said frame to prevent the recession of the platen connected with the high-speed power member from the platen connected with the low-speed power member during the forward movement of said last-mentioned platen. V

6. A compress, having a plurality of platens movable toward each other; a guide frame for said platens; a relatively lowspeed power member operatively connected with, to move, one of said platens; a relatively high-speed member operatively connected with, to move, the other of said platens; a plurality of toggles operatively connecting said frame and the platen connected with said high-speed power member; and suitable connections between said toggles and the platen connected with said lowspeed power member, whereby said toggles are moved by said last-mentioned platen.

7. A compress, having a plurality of platens movable toward each other; a guide frame for said platens; a relatively lowspeed power member operatively connected with, to move one of said platens; a relatively high-speed member operatively connected with, to move, the other of said platens; a plurality of toggles operatively connecting said frame and the platen connected with said high-speed power member; and suitable connections between said toggles and the platen connected with said lowspeed power member, whereby said toggles are moved by said last-mentioned platen, said toggles being disposed so that the members thereof assume a substantially straightline arrangement while resisting the strain of said low-speed power member.

8. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a guide frame for said platens; a relatively low-speed power member operatively connected with, to move, one of said platens; a relatively high-speed'power member operatively connected with, to move, the other of said platens; a plurality of levers pivotally mounted on said frame and oper atively connected with both of said platens, to be moved thereby to prevent the recession of the platen connected with the high-speed power member.

9. A compress, having a plurality of platens; a frame for supporting said platens in guided relation; a relatively slow-speed member operatively connected with, to move, one of said platens; a plurality of levers pivotally mounted on said frame; and a plurality of link-like members pivotally connecting one end of said lever with one of said platens and the other end of said lever with the other of said platens.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HILL.

Witnesses:

D. G. STAFFORD, EUG. KIRKPATRICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

